LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
A school-record eight swimmers are representing the 16th-ranked UNLV Rebels at this week's 2011 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. This year's championship is being held from Thursday through Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. The preliminaries start at 10 am (PST) each day, while the night finals will begin at 6 pm (PST). Friday's and Saturday's finals will also be shown live on ESPN3.com.

UNLV, which won a MWC record seventh-straight conference championship in February and also won the regular season title with a perfect 5-0 dual meet record, has spent the entire season ranked in the top 20, while the No. 16 ranking is the best in school history. After posting new school records with 37 points and a tie for 21st at last year's NCAA meet, this year's squad has hopes of surpassing both marks. Two Rebels are ranked in the top five in their event, another is top 16, while three relays are also seeded in the top 16 coming into the meet. Top 16 in each event will score points at the NCAA championships.

Leading the way is sophomore Cody Roberts, the current MWC Swimmer of the Year who is ranked fourth in the 100 fly and is also competing in the 200 breast. Junior Andrew Morrell is seeded fifth in the 100 breast, and will swim the 200 breast as well.

Senior Kier Maitland is the third Rebel that is seeded in the top 16 in an individual event, as his is 13th in the 1650 free. He will also swim the 500 free.

UNLV will have four relays competing at the championships, beginning with the 200 free relay that has the seventh fastest time in the meet, while the 200 medley relay is seeded eighth. The 400 medley relay is ranked 11th, and UNLV's 400 free relay will also compete, coming in with the 19th-best time in that race.